Spicy Shredded Pork

A while back we got a pork roast that was HUGE! Anyway, I cut it half and did half in the oven roasting it with veggies. And the other half I did in the crockpot and shredded it. I ended up then freezing quite a bit of it. Yesterday I took some of the shredded pork out of the freezer and made it into a yummy spicy dinner. I put the shredded pork into the crock with a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, did a cup of chicken stock, a can of rinsed black beans, a can of diced green chili peppers, 1 chipolte pepper chopped, some garlic and onions and then cumin and oregano. I simmered in the crock for about 2 hours and then served it on tortillas with cheese and sour cream.

In the Movies...

Today I had a doctor's appointment and then after we went to the new Pirate movie. We both thought it was GREAT! I like it better then the last one but maybe not quite as well as the first one. I thought the first one was very funny. And this one didn't seem to have that humor as much - still a little though. But it was a really great story to me.

Movies we have watched recently:
The Servant - a movie from 1963 and it was umm curious. It was not what I expected and kind of twisted where I thought it was going. I won't say I didn't like it. I am glad I watched it...I liked the cinematography in it. I liked the servant...he was an odd fellow and I couldn't stop watching him.
The Inside Men - compelling plot, cops and robber movie but not with the usual plot. Plus Clive Owens was in it and I think he is sexy.
Children of Men - Again Clive. Very intriguing movie! I really enjoyed it - seeing how they depicted the future and just seeing the story unfold. We watched it when I was just finishing up "He, She and It" - both deal with the future. Neither the same but it did get me thinking about what the future will be like.
The Celestine Prophecy - I wanted to watch because the book had a profound affect on me. Like the book the writing isn't great. The message comes through though like the book. And so I enjoyed watching it.
Good Shepard - long long movie! I had a hard time following it at times when they did flashbacks. But over all the story was good - interesting plot.

I feel like I am forgetting a few movies.

Right now I am reading the Memoirs of a Geisha - almost done with it. I hadn't read it since the book came out years and years ago. I have to say although the book and movie are different I liked them both.

Busy Summer Ahead

Back from Denver and it seems June/this summer is going to be busy...

Michael (and me too on some) have several big work projects going on this month. And then on top of that I have several home projects.

* painting the deck
* painting the shed
* going through vhs tapes and boxing them up to store - or ebay
* going through bins - that I think I will ebay
* work on the round robin altered art book
* have a box of shredding to do too
* organize bill statements
* decide what to do with old vhs media storage
* box up some games to put in storage?
* on going yard work
* possibly prep and paint bathroom?

Friday Gratitude (on Saturday)

5 Good Things in my life...
1. A nice trip over to Denver!
2. Cold Stone Creamery! Yummy!
3. art - have been around a lot of inspiring people recently and just thankful for all the incredible art they do/give
4. mail love - I have received quite a bit of mail love recently and enjoyed it all!
5. Coming home to the kitty cats!

BUSY Saturday

I really enjoyed this afternoon. We went to an art studios tour. There is a local art organization that planned what is called the Open Art Studio Tour. It is where local artists open up there studios for people to come and visit, look at your art, buy art, and so on. We first went to Diana Wood's studio. I have been in it a few times as I designed her website and Michael and I are friends with her and her husband. Her art is gorgeous! Beautiful colors and textures. I hope one day we are able to get a piece by her.

Then after that we went to another place...some people we know have space on their property for several artists plus they are a bed and breakfast (The Gallery Bed and Breakfast). Their property and the studios are simply amazing. While we were there someone said it is like being in Taos...and I was nodding. It is quite the artful paradise! Anyway, we ended up buying a really pretty pottery bowl by Damian Rice. And then a painting by Dianna Fritzler of M&M's. Michael's initials being MM has meant he has collected M&M stuff over the years. So when I was flipping through a stack of work by Dianna and started squealing with delight! I told Michael he NEEDED it for his office! He happened to agree! Dianna does landscapes, animals, still life...everyday things but all with vibrant color, wonderful texture and a lot of whimsy! All of her pieces are really so much fun! You just can't help look at them and feel good and smile! She is SO inspiring...she just has so many ideas and great energy! She has been very encouraging of me getting involved in the local art community. And after walking around and seeing all the art....it was very inspiring to me. I really wanted to come home and go to my studio right away and create but after having such a long day my body and brain couldn't handle it.

This morning we had a photography shoot that was over an hour away. When we got back to town at a little after 1pm, we dropped equipment off and then left for the tour. Afer the art tour, on our way home, there was an open house that we decided to go to as we have drove past it a few times and wondered what it was like inside. It had some really good things - like TONS of closet and storage space. But for the price we just didn't feel it had the quality that others in that we had looked at in the subdivision. After all that....chinese take out & a movie...and just relaxing.

The bowl by Damain Rice...is it pretty? The colors are amazing...had to get photos of it from all sides as it so pretty!



M&M's by Dianna Fritzler....So FUN!

Friday Gratitude...

Doing the letter L today...
love - grateful for loving...giving and receiving in many ways
life - grateful for the life I have and lead
life journey - grateful to my life journey...grateful for being able to take the path I am on
laughter - grateful for the sound of friends and family laughing as well as the ability to laugh
Laurell k. Hamilton - grateful to her early books as they were entertaining plus they had special memories attached to them
lounging - grateful for the time to lounge and relax
lemons - grateful for the fresh smell, the flavor and the many things you can do with them
loyalty - grateful for loyalty that that is given to me and that I give. I am very loyal but not to the expense of myself (used to be to the point of being harmful to myself)
light - grateful for light...allowing me to see things....and even in ways I might not have seen without light shining just a certain way
lists - grateful for lists to give me gentle reminders and keep me up to speed
lip gloss and lipstick - grateful for lip gloss and lipstick that allow me to be girly girl
lips - grateful for lips the softness of them when we kiss..the way they move when speaking....plus Michael has very sexy lips!
language - grateful for language to communicate and expressive thoughts and feelings.
ladybugs - they are cute and colorful they always make me smile and make me think about all the wonders in nature.

Zig Zag

This week is doctor week. I had an appointment Monday, then I had one today and one tomorrow. Nothing wrong with me just follow ups appointments.

I have been having some computer problems and we really don't know what is going on but after a while my computer screen starts to get shaky wiggle lines on all the edges...like around the icons, the side bars on websites, any program I have open that has different panels the edges zig zag. At times it is so bad I can't read what is on the screen as it moves around so much. Michael has tried several different things and so far what he the other night is working. But the problem is so sporadic we aren't calling it fixed yet. But I am crossing my fingers.

I haven't had one diet coke in 8 days. I am not even getting headaches from withdrawal. I actually have been kind of lucky lately and not had a lot of migraines. I had one kind of bad one and then 2 that started but I took something and they went away. So I don't usually count those as they went away! So one bad one in 2 weeks is great. And yes it has been the same timing as quiting diet coke. In the past I did a test to see if it was one of my triggers and I really couldn't link it. But I know my chemistry changes as I get older.

I am loving the book I am reading right now. I know I mentioned it before but it is just such curious and intriguing book that I am going to post about it again. I am reading He, She and It by Marge Percy. It is set in a futuristic earth and I love the details of the Earth she describes. I love the free towns and the corp towns leave little to be desired. The book has the story of the futuristic Earth but then it also has a character retelling a story of Judah Loew ben Bezalel the Maharal of Prague who created a golem. I really would like to know how accurate the story is in the book. Here is what the snippet on Amazon says: "In the middle of the twenty-first century, life as we know it has changed for all time. Shira Shipman's marriage has broken up, and her young son has been taken from her by the corporation that runs her zone, so she has returned to Tikva, the Jewish free town where she grew up. There, she is welcomed by Malkah, the brilliant grandmother who raised her, and meets an extraordinary man who is not a man at all, but a unique cyborg implanted with intelligence, emotions--and the ability to kill"

I have been baking and cooking a lot lately. I made bread that I need to get pictures and recipe over on my cooking blog. It turned out very yummy! It was a new recipe and not only made wonderful creme brulee French toast but also toast for breakfast this week. The bread has maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, oatmeal, brown sugar.....and all those things gave it a great flavor and texture. I also made whole wheat bread sticks last week and although they tasted -ok- they weren't a keeper. It made a huge stack of them! Plus I made cookies last week but those didn't turn out pretty. They TASTED great! But they are something I try again but with some baking powder to help them raise up a little more here in the altitude. We picked up a pork roast a few weeks ago that was on sale. It was 50% off but they only had ONE left and it was 8 lbs! OMG the thing was HUGE! I basically cut it in half and did half in the oven and half in the crock. And then wrapped up 5 packages of cooked meat to put in the freezer plus we got 3 meals out of the left overs this week. I shredded some and I want to mix it with some green chilies, onion, garlic, cumin and black beans and put it in tortillas. I also did a pretty good slab that I will make pork fried rice with and then not sure what I will do with the other packages yet.

Art Nouveau Piece...

This morning I was cleaning the living room and I dusted this piece Michael has that was his Grandmother's. I decided to take pictures of it as I would love to know more about it. I love the piece. It is Art Nouveau. It looks as though it once had color some spots. I am assuming it is to hold books? That is what we use it for but I am not really sure that is what it was intended. I have been nervous to take a more potent cleaner to it for fear it will take that last bit of paint off or ruin th piece. It doesn't have the name of the maker on it only a number on the inside of each end. It is adjustable - slides out to give more room. I am just curious to know more information about it but I am not sure I know where to start to find that kind of information.

A nice Saturday!

We went to the Art and Jazz festival this morning. I am so glad we went early as it got hot today. We had a really nice time. There were quite a few boothes this year and so we were really happy to see all the art vendors. We saw lots of amazing art....seemed like there was lots of photography. There is this one guy that I really like seeing. His work really just has amazing colors in it. We overheard him the first year we went saying he uses photoshop. Then another photographer does B&W and hand paints the images. Not with a computer hand paints them. She had some beautiful pieces.

When we got there, a fight started with a security guard and vendor. We just started looking at this one booth and the security for the event came and said, "the police are on their way." And the vendor said, "good." And then the security guard said "you just like to be here to harrass us. I told you last night not to come back." And the vendor said, "oh really." (or something close to that.) And I didn't feel he had that much attitude in his tone but obviously the security guard did because then the security guard started YELLING "close up!" And the vendor said, "not until the police get here." And at that point he wasn't even yelling it but you could tell he was going to stand his ground. The security guard repeated the police were on their way but he wanted their booth CLOSED. The security guard was really yelling at this guy and he got in his face a few times....it was like he wanted the vendor to take a swing. But the vendor kept saying, "no not until the police arrive." The vendor had his wife and kids there. And his wife said, "keep your voices down." She said that several times. And then she said "we are closed." Security guard wanted them to pack. And so they exchanged words about that the vendor said, "We are closed but I am not packing until I talk to the police." The wife kept saying, "we are closed we are closed." And the vendor just was standing in the same spot in the opening of his booth and the security guard kept saying close. Now who in their right mind is going to walk into his booth with them yelling like that? They were closed the security guard could have just stood there and waited. A few minutes and the police were there as they were I am sure patroling the event. And the vendor then got very animated with his hands trying to tell the police what happened but it looked like the police were right away going to the side of the security guard and looked as though they were telling him he had to close too. We don't know why they had to close - they had 2 things going on in their booth - homemade soaps and bath salts. And then photography really pretty photography on huge canvas. And so I don't know if that was against the rules or what to be sharing a booth like they were...also their booth seemed bigger then most of them. When Michael and I left we had to walk that way again and saw they were almost done taking down all their merchandise. So that was exciting...or not.

Our town does what is called Art on the Corner. Our main street has sculptures ALL OVER. This event marks the time when new sculptures are put in and old ones moved around. They had some of the installations going on when we arrived. One piece REALLY captured us. Michael and I both were just standing staring at it.

Here are a couple of pictures....first being a close up of it. When I took the first look at the piece it seemed like the edging was glass. I really had to look to realized it was metal. And of course the pictures don't really capture the beauty of this piece. It really really captures the area of Colorado we live in...rock cliffs with the river flowing through the canyons.




Michael asked when we got back to the car if I had gotten some inspiration walking through seeing all the art. And I said I thought it was different this year. The first year I went through I hadn't done art for years. And the event really inspired me but I didn't feel that same inspiration as I did then. But as I sit and think back over things -- and started to clean my studio this afternoon -- I realized it did give me an itch to sit down and work.

I had one moment of tears which I hate that it happened in public. We passed one for the big flower areas downtown and this one was full of rose bushes...they were so pretty. I then started thinking of when I lived in Topeka and was married. We had so many rose bushes around our house....which made me think of Cali. She used to get caught up in this one bush that was on the corner of the of the house. And so I had to always come out and untangle her from it. And so I had tears. We sat down in a shaded area while I regained myself.

Well that is about it for now...I am going to make cinnamon bread so that we can have creme brulee french toast tomorrow morning for breakfast. Doing hamburgers on the grill for dinner.

Friday Gratitude

1. Lemonade
2. Chinese take out
3. That today was beautiful...sunny, not to warm, little breeze.
4. For feeling tired (been having insomnia so feeling tired is good)
5. Michael...for being so good to me. He has been extremely supportive and loving during my sad days of grieving. He spoiled me with the shopping trip! He picked up take out for dinner this week! And just taking care of me and loving me! He is wonderful!

Cleaning my Ears

I think it is odd the things we get stuck in our mind and associate stories, scents, situations with. The other day I was cleaning my ears with a q-tip and I realized that EVERY time I clean my ears I think of this story.

Years and years ago when I lived in Omaha, Nebraska I worked at as an administrative assistant/receptionist. One of the sale people was calling in sick because she needed to go to the doctors. I don't remember her name. I can see her in my head though clearly a very pretty woman. It was probably 15 to 16 years ago when I worked there.

Anyway, I think of her when cleaning my ears because that day she called in sick was because she had been cleaning her ear out with a q-tip in the bathroom. The bathroom door was closed and her little girl came blasting into the bathroom shoving the door into the woman's elbow forcing her hand to push the q-tip into her ear rupturing her ear drum.

OUCH!

So, not only do I think of her when cleaning my ears out - I get sympathy pains and my ears ache a little when cleaning them. I know I am silly that all these years later I still think of her and feel sympathy pain for her.

Listy

• I just finished Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo last week and it was very interesting and I as always with his books...want to read it again. I wish I would remember with his books to do what I do with others....use little sticky flags to mark things I want to come back too but I just get so engrossed in his books that I forget to stop and mark.
• I started He, She and It by Marge Percy. It is set in a futuristic earth and so far it is very interesting. It has lots of Jewish history in it and I really would like to know how accurate. The snippet of what Amazon says about it: "In the middle of the twenty-first century, life as we know it has changed for all time. Shira Shipman's marriage has broken up, and her young son has been taken from her by the corporation that runs her zone, so she has returned to Tikva, the Jewish free town where she grew up. There, she is welcomed by Malkah, the brilliant grandmother who raised her, and meets an extraordinary man who is not a man at all, but a unique cyborg implanted with intelligence, emotions--and the ability to kill"
• I started to make a list of spring cleaning...I try to list everything out that needs to be done. Home Comforts will be referenced tomorrow to make sure I am not forgetting anything. I also want to bake this week. I hope to make some scones this week and some whole wheat bread sticks.
• I got 2 adorable postcards recently! Thank you ladies they really did help me smile.
• We have been watching Frontier House. It is so different from Colonial House...I need to look up which came up first. I love Nate and his wife. Nate has GREAT attitude. In the midst of some hard times he always seems to smile and look at the bright side. I was surprised by some things going on but it still has been interesting to watch. (okay after I wrote that I got kind of obsessed reading PBS website on Frontier House and googling names from the show.)
• Today was better. I am still grieving and sad but I am not overwhelmed by it. I am just letting it come, cry, recall my memories and just let myself go through the process.

Remembering Cali

I don't have words right now as I found out last night but I do want note of rememebrance...as I loved her so much. She captured my heart from the moment I picked her up. And I never will forget her.

Daily Om....Many Times Over....

I had a bunch of Daily Om's flagged in my inbox so I am posting just a few of them here as I feel they were pretty good. Remember these are just snippets to read the whole Daily Om click on the links!

Your Allies On Life's Journey: Finding Your Tribe
Part of being human is the search for an individual identity. Bound to this strong need to establish a unique persona, however, is an equally intense desire for acceptance. It is when we find our individual tribes that both are satisfied. Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are without reservation and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution. Among them, we feel free to be our imperfect selves, to engage unabashedly in the activities we enjoy, and to express our vulnerabilities by relying on our tribe for support. We feel comfortable investing our time and energy in the members of our tribe, and are equally comfortable allowing them to invest their resources in our development.


Foundations Of Evolution: Acknowledging Your Growth
Since personal evolution is most often a slow and gradual process, it can be difficult to recognize the scope of the changes taking place in our lives. Yet it is important that we regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the many wonderful feats of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we intentionally contemplate our progress, we need never feel that we are languishing between past achievements and the realization of future goals.


Consuming To Heal: Filling Imaginary Voids
In our culture today, we are constantly encouraged to consume. This includes food as well as purchasing ever newer items that we may not need, often using money that we may not actually have. It could be that we are trying to fill a void we feel within ourselves, but if we take the time to examine it, we know deep inside that this is not the solution.


Choosing Not To Be A Target: Emotional Attacks
When someone attacks us emotionally, we may wonder what we did to rouse their anger, and we take their actions personally. We may ask ourselves what we could have done to compel them to behave or speak that way toward us. It's important to remember that there are no real targets in an emotional attack and that it is usually a way for the attacker to redirect their uncomfortable feelings away from themselves.


A Magical Mind: Wish
Wishes are important missives, expressing our heart's desire as well as our intention to create something new in our lives. When we wish for something, our consciousness opens to receiving it, like a flower unfolding its petals to receive a bee.


Lifting Pain's Veil: Bitterness
Divesting yourself of bitter feelings can be as simple as truly forgiving and moving on. Even when your bitterness has no concrete object, you can forgive situations too. Healing pain can be challenging but may be easier if you remind yourself that you are the only entity truly affected by your emotional state. In time, you will discover that letting go of your bitterness frees you to initiate the healing process and allows you to once again celebrate the possibility of the more wonderful life you deserve.